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Second Minnesota election judge faces criminal charges, adding to concerning day at the polls

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Second Minnesota election judge faces criminal charges, adding to concerning day at the polls


Two election judges from different parts of the state now face criminal charges for their conduct on Election Day, adding to a list of concerning incidents that occurred when voters went to the polls in Minnesota.

Two months later, state officials are still dealing with the fallout as the nation prepares to swear in the next president. 

While there are no allegations of widespread voter fraud or misconduct, problems did surface, including missing ballots, unregistered voters and election judge violations.

“The unintended rippling effect may be feeding into false narratives… that perhaps there’s rampant voting fraud in the state of Minnesota when we all know that’s not the case,” said Annastacia Belladonna-Carrera, executive director of Common Cause Minnesota, a nonpartisan group working to ensure safe, secure and fair elections. 

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Family matters in Ceylon

5 INVESTIGATES uncovered one incident in the small town of Ceylon, Minn., minutes from the Iowa border.

Mary Muller, the city clerk, was charged with a misdemeanor after serving as head election judge in the same precinct where her husband was on the ballot, a violation of state law.

Terry Muller ran for city council and won the seat. 

“Part of this whole situation is election integrity matters,” said John Gibeau, the longtime mayor of Ceylon who lost his reelection bid in November.

5 INVESTIGATES traveled to the remote southwest Minnesota town where Ms. Muller continues to serve as clerk.

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Mary Muller is charged with serving as an election judge in the same precinct where her husband was on the ballot.

“I’m not talking to you,” she said as she gathered her things and started to walk out of city hall. “Get out of my office. Get out of my office.”

As Muller got in her car, she said, “It’s all a f–king joke” before leaving.

“At the end of the day, just the implication that somebody might have done something wrong or made a mistake, it gives the impression that maybe things are not on the up and up,” Gibeau said. “If one person thinks that and then doesn’t vote, that’s a big fail as a democracy.”

High-profile cases

There is no allegation that what happened in Ceylon changed the outcome of the election, but the people who work to ensure fairness say the problems should be a wake-up call.

“It chips away at our democracy,” Belladonna-Carrera said, calling the issues this election day “unusual.”

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Case in point: Scott County.

A recount in the extremely close race between incumbent DFL Rep. Brad Tabke and Republican challenger Aaron Paul revealed that 20 ballots disappeared and were likely tossed in the trash. 

This week, a judge denied the Republican’s request for a special election, but not before the state House started its session in chaos.

It’s also not the only high-profile Election Day controversy. Days before the election, the State Supreme Court found Hennepin County broke the law in how it picked election judges – something it managed to fix before Election Day.

County clerk faces felonies

Almost 200 miles away, Hubbard County prosecutors charged election judge Tim Scouton with two felonies – saying he allowed 11 people to vote who were not registered.

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Charging documents suggest confusion inside the precinct that day over where the voter registration forms were located.

Tim Scouton, who served as an election judge in Badoura Township, is accused of allowing 11 people to vote who were not registered.

5 INVESTIGATES also made the trip to Hubbard County for a recent Badoura Township meeting, where Scouton continues to serve as clerk.

“Goodbye,” he said as 5 INVESTIGATES approached with a camera and microphone. Scouton left and never returned for the meeting.

Fellow board members said they still felt confident with Scouton serving as clerk, but said they only knew what they read in the news.

“We don’t know what happened. We were totally out of it,” said Theora Goodrich, board supervisor.

Election worker training

Belladonna-Carrera says that while these issues may seem minor, they collectively represent a broader problem.

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“I think what this signals is perhaps a need to revisit the training aspect of these folks that are out there,” she said.

The Secretary of State’s office said the training of election judges is the responsibility of the individual counties and cities that hire them. However, the office does provide training guides, manuals, and even videos.

“Our office goes above and beyond what is legally required to ensure localities are supported in training their election judges,” said Cassondra Knudson, spokesperson for the SOS office.

Knudson said it’s extremely rare, but “occasionally errors or intentional violations of election laws do occur,” adding that redundancies in place ensure they’re caught quickly.

Belladonna-Carrera plans to address the issue before the next election cycle.

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“I have no doubt that we have safe, secure elections. But I also don’t think that we should sort of sweep it to the side and say, well, it just happens to be in one instance or the other instance,” Belladonna-Carrera said. “All of our voters are owed a level of confidence.”



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Inver Grove Heights chosen as official location of Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame

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Inver Grove Heights chosen as official location of Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame


The future location of the Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame (MNHHOF) will be in the city of Inver Grove Heights.

The future location of the Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame (MNHHOF) will be in the city of Inver Grove Heights.

In the announcement made on Wednesday, the MNHHOF said the new site will be a 120,000-plus-square-foot, multi-purpose facility located adjacent to Interstate 494 and just east of Vikings Lakes and the Minnesota Vikings training complex.

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“Since announcing this legacy project in August, the outpouring of support from players past and present, Minnesota-based companies, and hockey fans statewide has been overwhelming,” said MNHHOF CEO Natalie Darwitz. “We’re truly excited to build our permanent home in Inver Grove Heights, honoring the past and inspiring the future of Minnesota hockey.”

The current plans for the facility are to build it on a 40-acre section of land, featuring an ice rink, a 20,000-square-foot performance venue, a 30,000-square-foot museum, a hockey-themed restaurant and taproom and multiple event and community spaces.

“The City is thrilled that the Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame has selected Inver Grove Heights as its home, and we look forward to welcoming them to our community,” said Inver Grove Heights Mayor Brenda Dietrich. “The site is in our Northwest Area, which has long been envisioned for major development, and the Hall of Fame offers the opportunity for new amenities and attractions that will benefit Inver Grove Heights for years to come.”

MNHHOF plans to break ground in 2026, with a planned opening in late 2028.

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KSTP/SurveyUSA poll results: Trump, Walz both below 50% approval in Minnesota

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KSTP/SurveyUSA poll results: Trump, Walz both below 50% approval in Minnesota


KSTP/SurveyUSA poll results: Trump, Walz both below 50% approval in Minnesota

The political feud between President Donald Trump and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is frequently documented.

While both try to score political points with their criticism of each other, neither has much in the way of bragging rights when it comes to approval ratings in Minnesota.

According to our exclusive KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, the president has a 42% approval rating in Minnesota with 55% disapproval. That 13-point difference is six points worse than our last survey three months ago.

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Trump retains the approval of 89% of Republicans but just 35% of independents.

“Trump is always running a bit below the national average in job approval in Minnesota and that is the case here,” says Carleton College political analyst Steven Schier. However, the newest Associated Press/Reuters poll showed the president with a 39% approval rating and 59% disapproval, slightly better than his Minnesota results.

The president’s approval is bogged down by a 43% approval of his handling of the economy.

Gov. Walz doesn’t fare much better in our survey. For the second survey in a row, Walz is at 48% approval and 48% disapproval. Those ratings are his lowest in the 20 times we’ve surveyed his approval in the past four years. He’s seeking an unprecedented third four-year term as governor of Minnesota.

“Gov. Walz’s approval puts him in sort of a flashing yellow light zone,” says Schier. “There’s some danger ahead. He’s below 50% approval.”

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The Walz approval numbers are weighed down by just 14% who say he’s done enough to stop state government fraud.

Our survey included 35% Democrats, 31% Republicans and 29% independents.

SurveyUSA interviewed 650 adults from the state of Minnesota 12/09/25 through 12/12/25. Of the adults, 578 were identified as being registered to vote and were asked the questions which follow. This research was conducted online, using nonprobability sample of online adult panelists chosen randomly by Cint USA. The combined pool of survey respondents was weighted to US Census ACS targets for gender, age, race, education, and home ownership.



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Red Lake Nation signs cannabis cooperative agreement with state of Minnesota

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Red Lake Nation signs cannabis cooperative agreement with state of Minnesota


ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management and

Gov. Tim Walz

recently announced the signing of a cannabis cooperative agreement with

Red Lake Nation.

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According to a release, the agreement outlines how the state of Minnesota and Red Lake Nation will protect the public health, safety and well-being of all Minnesotans regarding adult-use cannabis and supports Red Lake Nation’s tribal sovereignty, cultural identity and heritage.

“This partnership opens a new outlet for state-licensed cannabis businesses to access and sell legal cannabis and honors the independence of the members of the Red Lake Band,” OCM Executive Director Eric Taubel said in the release. “We look forward to their cooperation in bringing more cannabis supply to the state and seeing their cannabis operations develop and thrive while respecting the Red Lake Band’s autonomy.” 

In Minnesota’s cannabis law, the legislature directed Walz to negotiate intergovernmental agreements with tribal nations sharing territory with Minnesota to strengthen public health and safety, secure an equitable and well-regulated cannabis market, and provide financial benefits to both the state and tribal nations.

Red Lake’s NativeCare dispensary

was the first in the state to sell legal, adult-use cannabis after the law legalizing cannabis took effect in August 2023. With this agreement in place, Red Lake is able to collaborate with state-licensed cannabis businesses and create partnerships.

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“Our goal from the beginning has been to produce the highest quality cannabis products that are free of all toxins and impurities. Consistent testing has verified that we have reached our goal,” Red Lake Nation Chair Darrell Seki Sr. said in the release. “Now that our cooperative agreement with the state has been finalized, we are looking forward to sharing our top-shelf products with the Minnesota market.”

Compact negotiations continue between the state and tribal nations sharing territory with the state of Minnesota. To date, the state has signed compacts with White Earth Nation, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Prairie Island Indian Community, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

The state expects to announce additional tribal-state cannabis agreements soon.  

Copies of signed, executed tribal-state cannabis compacts and cooperative agreements can be found on

OCM’s website.

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